Grace Idaho | Grace High Senior Portraits| Southeastern Idaho Photographer
It’s MAY! I can’t believe we’ve already made it five months into the year, and even more mind-blowing is that we’re just weeks away from finishing off another school year! This year, I decided to do something a little different with the Seniors I photographed, rather than posting immediately- which would have been so much easier ;), I decided to wait and celebrate them until now. So on Instagram, there will be a new Senior highlight each week, but here, you get to get to know each one in one post! Our first senior? Nyler!
I’ve been really excited to share these seniors but this one is especially near and dear, and if I’m being perfectly honest, I don’t know that I’m quite ready for this. He may not be MY son, but there are days when I feel like he’s one of my kids! Nyler is my youngest sibling, as a kid, ha let’s face it, even now, we call him ‘Nyler the Smiler’ because have you ever seen him without a smile? Yeah, me neither. He is a ray of sunshine. Always full of life and a love for life. Nyler spends hours on the floor playing with my kids- if they ask him to play, he doesn’t wait for them to ask again, it’s always ‘yes.’ He’s the fixer of all Legos- and believe me, we break a lot of those around here…and a master builder. We bought him a 3D wooden marble run ‘puzzle’ building kit for Christmas thinking it would stump him, or at least give him something a project for a week or two. He had it all assembled by the time we showed up the next day. It was incredible! That was even after spending time repairing or replacing pieces that didn’t seem to function properly. The kid’s brain and his fine motor skills amaze me.
So, on day 1, what do I love about Nyler? Well, I love his creativity, and I love the joy that seems to follow him everywhere he goes.
Day 2: Do you have a green thumb? Can you make plants come back from the dead, or successfully transplant new shoots/growth from one plant to a new one? I really can’t claim that I can. Matter of fact, I tend to kill plants rather than revive them. The hard part? I genuinely LOVE plants. I have one that I bought the week after Craig and I got married and it is still alive, I have a few just like it that I’ve bought over the years, I also LOVE my baby snake plant- I can’t even tell you how giddy I get when I see her in the morning. I’ve also recently purchased a beautiful Fiddle Fig- she’s a charmer, Fiddle is her name (and no, she’s not fickle) and I love her too. AND a baby Aloe Vera plant, her name is Aloe, and our most recent addition is Dieffenbachia. She hasn’t been named yet, so suggestions are welcome! I’m sure you’ve already read over the names and wondered why the heck you should care and that is precisely why I’m sharing this. Nyler cares. Nyler loves plants too! He keeps waaaay more plants alive than I do, but he loves each of them. Better yet, he checks on mine each time he comes to visit and always has a fun fact for me to be a better plant parent. I hope to adopt a spider plant from him one day when I know I won’t kill it. I may need a degree in Botany before that time comes just to feel qualified.
I love Nyler today because of his love of plants, his excitement and pure captivation make me want to be a better plant lover. I want to bring more plants into my home BECAUSE it bring him so much happiness! Thank you Nyler for loving God’s creations!
Day 3: Oh boy, I could talk about Nyler all day every day. In the past few years, I’ve gone from being Mikenna to Nyler’s sister Mikenna. Yes, that’s become my full name to those that know Nyler. I swear that kid does a little of everything. I’ve mentioned he loves plants, engineering- and all things that require building, he is EXCITED about going into the dental field, has a knack for clogging and social dance, LOVES to play the trumpet, the piano, sing, and has been learning the guitar, he’s an incredible baker- you HAVE to try his carrot cake or his most recent one- I just can’t remember the name of…or even his Chocolate, chocolate cake he made for my birthday, I am still impressed! Just don’t ask him to make you homemade donuts if there’s safflower oil on the counter…just give me a call, I got you covered (Nyler, I still love you)!
Nyler, thank you for being a young man that I am proud to call my brother and friend. I will proudly be ‘Nyler’s sister Mikenna.’ You are so loved. I will cry the day you graduate, I will miss your red truck pulling into my driveway after school, and I will miss having you help me make Oreo truffles. You are spreading joy in so many ways. Thank you! The next large ‘blush’ drink is on me!
Love, Mikenna
XOXOXOXOXO
